Clamping device for safety ski harness



United States Patent [72] Inventor Georges P- J- Salo llon, [50] Field of Search 280/1 1.35, 34 de Loverchy Ave., l-laute-Savoie, 1 l .35(HA) Annecy, France [21] Appl. No. 744,758 [56] References Cited [22] Filed July 15, 1968 UNITED STATES PATENTS 1 a n Dec-8,1970 3,199,885 8/1965 Smolka et a]. 280/] 1.35 1 P July 21,1967, 8- 1967 3,325,178 6/1967 Reuge et al. 280/1' 1.35

Nos 5,296 and 118 500 Primary Examiner- Banjamin Hersh Assistant Examiner-John A. Pekar Attorney-Pierre Lesperance [54] g: SAFETY SKI ABSTRACT: A clamp for use on a safety ski harness wherein the clamp has a free motion or play before disengaging the ski [52] US. 230/1 5 boot so that normal raising and lowering of the ski boot can [51 1 Int. Cl A63c 9/084 take place without disengaging the safety clamp.

PATENTEDnEc 8l976 j 545782 I SHEET 1 OF 3 INVENTOR. Georges P J SALOMON PATENTEDDEB 8|9ZG 3545782 SHEET 2 0F 3 III INVENTOR. Q S P. J. SALOMON @W; @L QM AgenT FIGS L20 1 3 42 43 4s 4s 58 56 FIG.6

' INVENTOR.

Georges PJ.SALOMON BY CLAMPING DEVICE FOR SAFETY SKIIIARNESS Thepresent invention relates to an improvement in a boot heel clamping device for a safety ski harness.

Known safety ski harnesseswherein the boot-clamping arrangement is obtained through means of balls and springs, for example, do not provide to the boot, prior to its release from the clamping engagement, at play or space of free motion; such type of clamping arrangement will not absorb the necessary normal raising and lowering movements of the skiers boot. However, on those harnesseswhich do provide for such play by the boot, the arrangements used are, in most cases, complex and onerous; furthermore, they do not provide a play that is constant and well defined.

It is an object of this invention to overcome the above-noted disadvantages in a simple and efficient way.

According to the present invention, a boot-clamping jaw which is pivoted about an horizontal axis, has a notch with which the forward end of a slidable arm comes in contact; the slidable arm is articulated, at its rearward end, in a guiding slot in such a manner as to constitute a knee joint arrangement consisting of the guiding slot, the forward end of the slidable arm and the pivoting axis of the jaw; the said forward end of the slidable arm is driven by'the notch, first, during a time corresponding to the desired play of the clamping jaw and following a circular arch trajectory having a'center coinciding with the pivoting axis of the clamping jaw, and, secondly, in such a way as to actuate the release of the safety clamp by guiding the slidable arm in a rectilinear rearward motion.

For example, a clamping jaw pivotally mounted on an horizontal pin is provided with a notch in which is engaged a roller pivotally mounted on the forward end of a spring-loaded arm; the arm, at its rearward end, is adapted to slide and to pivot. The roller is first held against a fixed ramp, concentric to the pivot axis of the clamping jaw, in such a way as to maintaining its engagement within the notch during a time corresponding to the allotcd play of the clamping jaw; then, the roller is guided rearwardly in an horizontal opening thereby leaving the notch; as a result thereof, the clamping jaw is released from its clamping engagement with the boot. The horizontal opening is preferably situated at a place slightly ahead of the bringing intoalignment of both forward and rearward ends of the arm and the pivoting axis of the c clamping Furthermore, according to the present invention, the kneejoint arrangement of the clamping device is constituted by the jaw pin pivoting axis and by both extremities of the slidable arm, the forward end thereof having a roller in contact with a notch on said jaw and the rearward end thereof being articulated on a rearward motion' determined by the play of the clamping jaw and by stoppers mounted in the harness housing to limit the clearance of the arm and to determine the play of the jaw.

The invention will become more apparent during the following disclosure and by referring to the drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown by way of example and in no way limiting; I

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal view, partly in section, of a ski harness in accordance with the present invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are longitudinal sections of the ski harness of FIG. 1 in two successive positions;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are longitudinal sections of other embodiments of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal section showing the release of the ski harness of FIG, 5. f

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the boot heel 1 is clamped on a ski 2 by means of a jaw 3. The jaw 3 is pivoted about pin 6 mounted on a housing 7. The jaw3 is provided with a ramp 8, concentric to pin 6, and a notch 9 in which is engaged a roller 10 pivoting about an axis 11 on the forward end portion of slidable arm 12. The arm 12 is adapted to pivot at the rearward end thereof in a guiding slot 13 provided on the housing 7. The arm 12 is spring-loaded by means of spring 16 in order to push the roller 10 in notch 9 thereby actuating clamping jaw 3 in the direction of arrow 17. The extremities of pin 11 are retained between ramp 8 of jaw 3 and a concentric ramp 18 on the housing 7, the ramp l8 downwardly extending to an horizontal opening 21. In FIG. 1, jaw 3 when rotating in the direction of arrow 17, clamps boot heel l on ski 2 but allows, however, a certain play or free motion corresponding to a trajectory as shown by FIG. 2; in other words, the play lasts as long as roller 10 is maintained in notch 9.

In FIG. 2, the lifting of boot heel 1 causes the rotation of jaw 3 until, because of the leading action of notch 9, pin 11 of roller 10 comes at the level of horizontal opening 21; there, coming in contact with the lower surface of the opening, pin 11 limits the rotation of jaw 3 in the direction of arrow 20.

Referring to FIG. 3, when the efforts obtained by the raising of boot heel 1 become more important, they reach a point which can be termed dangerous; there, roller 10 leaves notch 9 and is moved in the direction indicated by arrow 22, 'pin 11 enters and slides in opening 2!, arm 12 slides in guiding slot 13 and spring 16 is compressed. The safety clamp 3 continues to rotate in the direction of arrow 20 thereby freeing boot heel 1 from its previously clamped condition.

In FIG. 4, the housing 25 shown is functionally identical to the above-described housing 7 but is structurally different in that the jaw consists of twomembers 26 and 27, movable away and from each other by meansof a screw 28 thereby permitting the adjustment of the harness to different sizes of boot heels. The housing 25 also differs from housing 7 of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 in that the tension of a spring 29 is adjustable by means of a threaded sleeve 30 in which a socket 31 is set to permit the precise guiding of a arm 32 in all angular positions.

Advantageously, during the' releasing adjustment of the safety harness, the moving of sleeve 30 in the direction of arrow 34 causes, in addition to a more important bracing of spring 29, the travel of the pivoting point of arm 32 also an increase in the knuckle-joint effect that this point determines with pins 33 and 40 of roller 36 and jaw 26 respectively.

Furthermore, it is no longer the extensions of pin 33 of roller 36 but the roller itself that is guided by ramp 37 of member 27, ramp 38 and slot 39 of housing 25.

In FIGS. 5 and 6, jaw 3 pivotally mounted on pin 40 of housing 41 clamps boot heel l on ski 2; roller 43 is engaged in notch 42 of jaw 3 and is pivotally mounted on arm 46 which is itself pivotally mounted on a member 48 swingable about pin 49 mounted on the housing. Stoppers 50 and 51 mounted on member 48 limit the clearance of moving arm 46. When jaw 3 is subject to motions in the direction of arrow 20 which tend to release the clamp, arm 46 is actuated, by means of roller 43, in a rotational direction opposite to the direction indicated by arrow 20, thereby rearwardly moving member 48, an the legs 52 of which act on the head of a screw 53 thereby tensioning spring 56 between the fixed portion 57 and the adjusting nut 58 mounted on the screw.

If these motions which tend to actuate the jaw persist and increase, roller 43 comes in contact with a stopper 51 on member 48. In order to become completely free, the jaw must then push member-48 until the roller 43 is entirely removed from notch 42; the reaction of member 48 on jaw 3 is counteracted by the more considerable tension in the spring between the fixed portion 57 and the adjusting nut 58.

While the invention has been discussed above only in relation to three specific forms of the invention, persons skilled in the art will be aware that it may be refined and modified in various ways without departing from its scope. It is therefore wished to have it understood that this invention is not to be limited in interpretation except by the terms of the following claims claims.

I claim:

1. A boot heel safety clamping device comprising, in combination, a housing, a boot heel-engaging jaw pivotally connected to said housing for closing and opening movements and having a notch thereon, a spring-loaded arm having a forward end portion adapted to engage said notch and a rearward end portion mounted in said housing for pivotal and guided translational movements in said housing, and a stopper mounted in the path of said arm, said forward end portion of said arm being driven by said notch on said jaw during opening movement of said jaw, causing movement of said spring-loaded arm against the action of its spring until said arm abuts said stopper which maintains said forward end portion out of the line joining the pivot axis of said jaw and the pivot of said rearward end portion.

2. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said stopper is located to abut said forward end portion of said arm.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said arm rearward end portion is pivotally and slidably mounted in said housing.

4. A device as defined in claim 3, wherein said stopper consists of the edge of an horizontal opening formed in said hous- 5. A device as defined in claim 3, wherein roller means are mounted on said forward end portion of said arm.

6. A device as defined in claim 5, wherein said housing and said jaw are each provided :with concentric spaced ramps between which is guided said roller means.

7. A device as defined in claim 6, wherein said notch is,

located on said ramp of a said jaw.

8. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said rearward end portion of said arm is slidably mounted in.a socket rotatably spring-loaded member havingan arm mounted thereon, said arm having a forward end portion adapted to engage said notch and a rearward end portion pivotally connected to said spring-loaded member, said member being pivotally connected to said housing, said forward end portion of said arm being driven by said notch on said jaw until'said boot heel is raised out of engagement with said jaw. l

10. A device as claimed in claim 9 herein said forward end portion of said arm is provided with a roller and wherein said member is provided with a stopper for receiving said roller and stopping pivoting movement of said arm against the action of said spring in a positionin which the pivotal axis of said roller is out of the line joining the pivotal axis of said jaw and of said am rearward end portion.

11. A boot heel safety clamping device comprising, in combination, a housing, a boot heel-engaging jaw pivotally connected to said housing for closing and opening movement and having a notch thereon, a spring-loaded arm having a forward end portion adapted to engage said notch under action of said spring, and a rearward end portion mounted for pivoting and guided translational movement in said housing, said jaw and arm constituting a knee-joint arrangement with said two end portions and the jaw pivoting axis constituting the three axis of said knee-joint arrangement, and a stopper limiting the pivotal movement of said arm forward end portion against the action of said-spring to a position in which the knee-joint arrangement axis formed at said forward end portion is short of a line joining the two remaining axes of said knee-joint arrangement. 

